It's a sight both thrilling and familiar -- the winding staircase, especially when seen from directly above or below. Many directors and cinematographers use such shots for their guaranteed visual punch -- the landings create artificial frames, the spirals imbue the center of the screen with a sense of the infinite. Plus, the practical purpose of the stairway suggests a journey and not an easy one. Different films have used the winding staircase to evoke different things -- vertigo, insanity, a descent into hell, and even female genitalia. This Thanksgiving weekend, we give our gratitude to one of the great visual tropes in the horror-thriller by presenting six films with staircases we love.

As usual, click the thumbnails to open a larger version of the picture in a new window.

It's no surprise that Bava shows up on our list. Here we see the same staircase twice, during two different sequences. One shot is taken from below, the other above, but the key difference is the startling change in lighting. Bava's films have always proven that a little darkness in the right places can completely transform the look of a location -- and here we have evidence of that.

One of the better psychological thrillers of the last fifteen years also features a rather striking staircase. It leads up to the flat shared by Juliet (Kerry Fox), David (Christopher Eccleston), and Alex (Ewan McGregor). This shot is taken from a point in the film just before avarice, suspicion, betrayal, and homicidal mania tear the three apart.

Do you have a favorite staircase shot? Or are you particular to another bit of architectural design? Let us know in the comments!

I absolutely LOVED the colorful scenery and opening shot in "Suspiria." The whole building the dancers lived in was so cool, especially with all of the hidden doorways and passages and the long hallway Jessica Harper walks down to get to her room.
Are you ever gonna post the "Re-Animator" writeup from the Int'l Horror and Sci-Fi Film fest? I'm curious to read it.